What To Do When You Feel Frustrated With Politics
We live in one of the most politically charged eras in history. Even people who were previously apolitical seem to be invested in the current political era. It seems like no one is currently satisfied with the state of affairs. While many people bicker on social media, not much seems to get done.
If you feel frustrated with the state of politics but are keenly aware that your social media posts aren’t doing anything to make concrete change, don’t worry. You’re not alone in feeling this way.
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Here are some things you can do when you feel frustrated with politics.
Take A Social Media Break
In some ways, social media has revolutionized democracy for the better. Candidates and politicians can speak openly with their constituents. Furthermore, anyone can share news stories and inform others of their political opinions. While there are a lot of good things when it comes to politics and social media, there are drawbacks as well.
We’ve all seen people who are otherwise friends become entrenched in nasty political fights on social media. While you might feel like you’re making your point, you’re not doing much for your sanity or peace of mind when you duke it out with a friend over politics. All you’re ultimately doing is severing what was previously a good relationship with another human being. At the end of the day, you haven’t made any real change.
Try taking a break from social media for a bit. If you can’t bear to be away from your profile, then at least try to ignore political posts. You’ll soon find that when you remove yourself from the shouting and yelling, things don’t actually feel that dire. A social media break can bring back your feelings of hope and optimism about the state of affairs.
Volunteer
Social media activism isn’t really “activism” at all. If you really want to overcome your feelings of frustration with politics, the best thing to do can be to actually get out there and make a change. A lot of times, our frustration with politics stems from our feelings that we’re not in control. When you volunteer and get involved, you feel like you’re actually part of the process and like your voice actually matters.
Find an organization that does meaningful work and is pushing for ideas with which you wholeheartedly agree. For example, the National Endowment for Democracy can always use volunteers. If you don’t have the time to volunteer your time but still want to feel like you made a concrete change, you could always make a donation to the National Endowment for Democracy business.
In this politically charged era, it’s normal to feel a sense of frustration. But it’s crucial to remember that change never happens because people fought on social media. Instead, change happens when people put aside their differences and make a real concerted effort to improve the world they live in for the better.
The next time you find yourself becoming legitimately angry over politics, try logging off of the internet and instead going out and actually making a difference. Change can happen, but only if people are willing to do the work necessary to make it happen.
Author: Lolita Di
